SDCC 07: New Series Coming from Vertigo

Vertigo has announced three new series that are in the works: House of Mystery, Unknown Soldier, and Madame Xanadu.

Jack of Fables creators Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges will helm the ongoing series House of Mystery, which is described as follows in a Vertigo press release:

"A Pirate. A Poet. Tormented lovers and the woman who tries not to come between them. For reasons unknown even to them, they have all been imprisoned in the House of Mystery, which functions as a tavern in an abandoned secret location. Together, they maintain the tavern and coax stories out of its patrons, all while they seek to discover the secrets behind their connections to each other and their unusual abode."

Originally published by DC Comics as an anthology of horror and suspense stories, House of Mystery later appeared in Neil Gaiman's Sandman. In Willingham and Sturges' new take on the tale, "the house is not just a location, but a character: a living being who feeds on the stories of those who dwell within." With art by Luka Rossi, House of Mystery contains an overarching framing story that follows the lives of the house's imprisoned inhabitants, and an inset story illustrated by "star comic artists." Fantasies, gothic horror tales, psychological thrillers, comical yarns, and more will be featured.

Unknown Solider will also be an ongoing series. Written by Joshua Dysart (Swamp Thing, Violent Messiahs) and illustrated by Alberto Ponticelli (Egon, Sam and Twitch), Unknown Solider will, according to Vertigo, "redefine a classic DC title and tackle the problem of corruption in Northern Uganda, where violence and poverty are on the rise, and an AIDS pandemic is on the march."

The series introduces Moses Lwanga, "a pacifist doctor who leaves the comforts of America to provide much-needed aid to Uganda, the country of his birth. While working in an Internally Displaced Persons camp near Kitgum, his religious teachings and pacifist beliefs are tested by an encounter with members of the Lord's Resistance Army, who have kidnapped and nearly killed a little girl. This encounter unexpectedly triggers a previously dormant, ruthless ability to kill. Somehow, Moses knows how to murder with unparalleled skill, and he is scarcely aware of his own actions until the group of LRA soldiers lies dead at his feet. An unknown soldier lives within him, fearless and deadly."

Madame Xanadu will be an ongoing series written by Matt Wagner (Grendel, Mage) and illustrated by Amy Hadley (Fool's Gold). Vertigo describes the comic like this:

"Told as a gothic romance and interweaving elements of history and mythology, Madame Xanadu revisits famous legends and stories of different eras through Madame Xanadu's personal history and her odd connection to the mysterious Phantom Stranger. Who is she? How did she come to be known as Madame Xanadu? Why is she connected to so many of history's most important figures? For the first time these secrets will be revealed."